About LoL esports

ABOUT

LoL esports represents professional League of Legends on a global scale. Primarily it includes the five major professional leagues from around the globe:

North America: North American League of Legends Championship Series (NA LCS)

Europe: European League of Legends Championship Series LCS (EU LCS)

Korea: League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK)

China: League of Legends Pro League (LPL)

Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao: League Master Series (LMS)

These leagues, plus international qualifiers from regions not represented above, feed into the annual World Championship.

LCS

The League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) is divided into two regions: North America and Europe. Each 10-team league competes over nine weeks, with every team facing one another twice per split, for a total of 18 games each. The regular season is played in a Best of 2 Round Robin format, with each team playing once a day. You can watch the LCS live every Thursday through Sunday on lolesports or on our spoiler-free VODs page once each match is finished.

EU LCS: Airs every Thursday and Friday at 9:00am PST/18:00 CET.

NA LCS: Airs every Saturday and Sunday at 12:00pm PST/ 21:00 CET.

After the first split of the season, the following split will follow the same outlines with the exception of the playoff format. Based on the playoff results, the top teams will earn a trip to the 2015 World Championship.

This season, LCS teams will receive championship points based on their performance in the LCS playoffs each split. The points will be used to determine seeding for the World Championship and Regional Qualifiers for North America and Europe.

The NA and EU LCS Playoffs will take place over a three week period with each round of matches (Quarters, Semis, and Final) taking place on separate weekends. All playoff matches will be a Best of 5. The NA and EU Spring Split Playoffs will take place over the following weekends:

NA and EU Summer Playoffs, Quarters: August 8-9

NA and EU Summer Playoffs, Semis: August 15-16

NA and EU Summer Playoffs, 3rd and Final: August 22-23

At the end of the season, the top seven teams will automatically re-qualify for the LCS. The 8th and 9th place LCS teams will then play in a Promotion Tournament against the 2nd and 3rd place Challenger Series (CS) teams to retain their spot in the LCS. The 8th place LCS team will get their choice of CS opponent. The 10th place LCS team will automatically be relegated to the Challenger Series, while the 1st place Challenger team will automatically qualify for the LCS. You can find more information on the 2015 LCS changes here.

CHALLENGER SERIES

The Challenger Series (CS) is the birthplace of future esports champions in North America and Europe. As the only path for players to join the premier LCS, competition in the CS is fierce. The Challenger series is comprised of six teams facing each other team twice in a double round robin season. All matches are played in a Best of 1 format.

Playoff Format:Challenger Series playoffs are comprised of four teams in a seeded, single elimination playoff. Finals are played in a Best of 5 format, all other matches are Best of 3. The 4th place team re-qualifies for the Challenger Series, 2nd and 3rd place teams advance to the LCS promotion/relegation playoffs, and 1st place is automatically promoted to the LCS.

LCK

League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) is the ultimate League of Legends esports league in Korea. The LCK features ten teams facing every other team twice over the course of the split. Each season is divided into two six-week splits. All matches are played in a Best of 3 format. At the end of the LCK season, the bottom two teams drop into a promotion/relegation tournament while the top four teams advance to a playoff series.

Playoff format:LCK playoffs are comprised of four teams in a winner-advances tournament with #3 and #4 place teams battling their way through each other (and then #2) for a chance to face the #1 seed in a finals match. All matches are Best of 5 format.

LPL

The Tencent League of Legends Pro League (LPL) is the premier League of Legends esports competition in China. The LPL features 12 teams facing every other team twice over the course of the season, for a total of 22 matches. At the end of the LPL season, the bottom four teams drop into a promotion/relegation tournament while the top eight teams advance to a playoff series.

Regular season points are distributed as follows for Best of 2 matches:

3 points for a 2-0 (winning both matches).

1 point for a 1-1 (a tie).

0 points for a 0-2 (losing both matches).

Playoff Format:Playoffs are comprised of eight teams in a seeded, single elimination tournament. All matches are played in a Best of 5 format. A 3rd/4th place match will be played.

LMS

The League of Legends Master Series (LMS) is the foremost League of Legends esports league in South East Asia. The LMS features 8 teams from the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Teams will face off in a double round robin season, each team plays every other team twice. Matches are played in a Best of 2 format. A 2W-0L record in a match will result in the winning team earning 3 points. A 1W-1L record in a match will result in both teams receiving 1 point. Regular season rankings are determined by total points, game difference, and shortest game time.

Playoff Format:LMS playoffs are comprised of four teams in a seeded, single elimination ladder tournament. All matches are played in a Best of 5 format.

How to watchYou can watch the LMS live every week on Live Garena or on our spoiler-free VODs page once each match is finished. The full match schedule is available here. Matches are not currently available in English.

Would you like to hide spoilers?

Customise your esports experience by showing or hiding spoilers site-wide. You can change this option in the menu at any time.

Please note: Articles will automatically revert to showing spoilers 2 days after publication.